Camp did not start today, as there was a major "huelga", or strike, in the Dominican Republic having to do with lower salaries / the increased cost of living. Anyway, no public transport was available, so the Mariposas were worried about the girls coming to camp. Obviously safety is the priority and we didn't want to take any chances.
So instead, we had sort of a "professional development" day with the other volunteers here at Extreme. Kelly and I led a team building exercise in which we actually had the six other women pair up and create a piece of theatre.
We divided them up into random pairings. Their assignment was to create a 2 minute piece of theatre in 10 minutes. They were to find a space that 'inspired' them and develop their performance from the following three words: love, power, and secrets. We told them to incorporate those three ideas in any way they wanted. We also instructed them to base their performance, in some way, on personal experience, what they know. At first, to be honest, all of them seemed a little dumbfounded... looked at us like we were slightly crazy. But then they went with it, split off, and began wandering around trying to find a space.
We watched them work for ten minutes. We saw different energies -- more of an intense dialogue between the partners, another group was all laughter and giddy movement, another group seemed to be lounging by the pool. After their time was up, we first went to the poolside (where the "loungers" were) and we watched Tehka and Nelly's performance.
In their piece, both women were on beach chairs by the pool, seemingly relaxed, a direct contrast to the tension they explored in their conversation. Tehka asked Nelly about a bruise on her back, which led into a halting, poignant conversation about the abuse Nelly was suffering from her significant other. The audience was a little startled, I have to say, because it was the first piece we saw, and it was so direct, emotional, and intense. Tehka and Nelly, two fully grown women, in their thirties, committed on their first try to an emotional scene that moved us. We were extremely proud of them.
The next piece we saw was Joy and Aurora. They used the skateboarding arena as their venue. Joy was standing by the stairs leading up to the exit, and Aurora was positioned on the stairs. Their piece was entirely choreographic, with Aurora trying to lead Joy up the stairs, up out of her 'rut', her darkness, and into the light, so to speak. Both women committed to the dance movement they were doing. They did not use any text. Towards the end, they did a silly little spin, which was funny, but had we been directing, we would have eliminated. However, everyone was impressed with the creativity and willingness to completely go out on a limb by doing an extremely abstract form of communication. We were also thrilled with this piece.
The final piece came from Ria and Colleen. They sat us all down at a picnic table and stood in front of us, surrounded by palm trees and backed by the beautiful white sand and beating waves on the shore. Ria began to explain a technique of theatre called "Theatre of the Oppressed," a term coined by Augusto Boal (I believe?? JOEL?)... a pretty interesting, sophisticated theatrical technique that we were shocked that they had heard of, let alone were using. Theatre of the Oppressed involves the actors striking a position onstage, and the audience members move them in any way they like, to give them a new position. The audience then analyzes what this position means, and it's a great way to generate discussion and build teamwork among the audience. Ria and Colleen instructed us to mold them into images of love, power, and/or secrets. The entire group participated, providing interesting new positions for Ria and Colleen, and also contributing insightful and meaningful comments on each position. We were stunned and delighted that Ria and Colleen had so skillfully incorporated such a wonderful theatrical technique.
We did some discussion afterwards, and all of them (Ria, Nelly, Aurora, Tehka, Colleen, and Joy) had all had a great time. Not only did this activity allow the volunteers to work together in unexpected and kind of 'scary' ways, but it also allowed them to see the kind of work that we do and how it isn't about "acting" -- it's about creating and discovering. We've been trying to explain our work to them, and I think now they finally understand and enjoy it. Ria suggested that we find a way to allow all of the campers to experience this type of work in the beginning of the camp day, and some of the others were talking about incorporating that type of exercise into their own groups.
Naturally, Kelly and I are already plotting to create some work with the volunteers, the Mariposas, as they have a great deal of potential. We'll see how it goes, but it seems like a fun group, willing to put themselves out there, and certainly excited about this kind of modern theatre. We'll see what happens, but we feel so hopeful that if a group of full-grown women with many preconceptions about theatre, and certainly who were all confident that they would not be able to do this sort of thing -- if THEY can create such cool work and surprise us so much, then we are psyched to see what the campers can do.
What inspiration! Can't wait for camp tomorrow!
It's great that all the women you are working with seem so open to this type of exercise, even though it is as you say a little "out there." I'm anxious to find out what the girls you work with are like. Good luck guys.
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